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Thursday, 15 September 2011

Two minutes with… Plymouth Argyle

Tuesday night saw recently-relegated Plymouth Argyle at Underhill, in what was already being discussed, at this early stage of the season, as a six-pointer. Both teams had already failed to get the ball rolling on the pitch, but at the front of most minds was the trouble Argyle are having off-the-pitch. Despite the predicament they currently find themselves in, our main aim was to get that elusive home win and get the points on the board to climb the table. However, if you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow FansReunited, or check their website. The Argyle fan I had the pleasure on interviewing this time round is Edward Murray – Twitter: @ArgyleEd

I came on the tube, I live in London so Barnet was one of the local games this season and easy to get to (although not too much fun, the Northern Line during rush hour really isn't the most pleasant way to travel).

What did you do pre-match?

I had a couple of pints in the Old Red Lion, with the way things are going at the Argyle you really need some alcohol in your system before watching us play to make it bearable, and had a bit of a chat with a few other Argyle fans, quite a depressing experience nowadays. Got into the ground about 10 minutes before kick-off and bought a burger and read the programme.

Where did you sit/stand in the ground?

In the away terrace. I liked it there – the view's not great (and I always prefer being behind a goal) but you can make a decent atmosphere and standing on a terrace really is a lot better than any all seater stand.

What did you make of the game?

It wasn't very good. Barnet didn't look great at all, their passing was very poor and they didn't look threatening but our defence was so poor that every time they went forward I feared conceding – our back four didn't seem to have any idea what they were doing. We passed the ball about fairly well in midfield but we were as inept going forward as we were at the back, we just cannot score. We didn't create as many real chances as we should have and it was usually our fault, too many errors were made, misplaced passes and shots from long range when there were better options available, but we couldn't do anything with the chances we did have. We're really very poor upfront. Neither team really impressed me – both sides could do with a lot of improving. The only enjoyable part of the evening was our away support which was really rather good, we understand this isn't the fault of the manager or players and so gave them our full backing. It was good to be a part of it.

Was the scoreline a fair reflection?

I feel we were a little unlucky to concede the goals we did and we should have had a penalty late on but Barnet were the better side, we certainly didn't deserve to win it but with a bit more luck we might have got a draw but we really can't complain too much about losing, it was a fair result.

Who, in your opinion was man of the match?

No one stood out to me for either side. I know that's a pretty poor answer but I didn't see anyone do anything particularly impressive.

Who have you got next and how do you think you'll get on?

Southend away. We're going to lose again. this team is desperately low on confidence and morale, entirely understandable given the circumstances. They've not been paid; they're mostly very young and inexperienced and have yet to win a game. I don't see us scoring a goal let alone winning a game, we're in very deep trouble.

Thanks Ed

My final word:

The only thing that mattered at the end of the day, on our part, was three points on the board – as a spectacle, the match was not all there; scrappy and desperate long balls. The only real difference between the sides was the scoreline, and crucial finishing. In the first half, Argyle certainly played the better football, looking good going forward (particularly on the counter attack) – just having the inability to finish. The defence mainly used long ball tactics to try and reach McLeod and Taylor, who were starting upfront, but when they did try and play it around it was through the middle, as opposed to the typical wing play we are used to seeing – with Sam Deering only starting from the bench again! Second half we played a lot better, but still it seems we will need to up our game before Oxford’s visit on Saturday. Credit has to go to the Plymouth fans though – arriving in numbers, considering their off-the-field problems, as well as singing throughout the game.